"Why does it have to be so early?" asked my friend Helen. When she'd agreed to put me up the night before my race and then drive me to the start, she wasn't aware that triathletes like to get the party started so early. I woke her up at 6.30am and we were out the [...]
A year ago I did my first ever triathlon followed a few weeks later by my first Olympic distance triathlon. As I cycled round Marlow Oly Tri I didn't like triathlon very much. It was a challenge to be completed rather than an event to be enjoyed. I've learnt a lot about swimming, cycling and triathlon [...]
What does an Ironman eat? I’d like to say ‘anything they bloody like’. But this isn’t entirely true. By the time I’ve been to work and trained (often twice in a day) I often can’t be bothered to make what I’d like to eat for dinner. Still it’s a question I get asked a lot, [...]
If you want to do something amazing, surround yourself with amazing people. Whether it’s running a marathon, cycling 100 miles or swimming the Channel – if you start hanging round with people who think that your dreams sound like a great way to spend your weekends, rather than those who question why you’d want to [...]
Those of you that have read this blog may know that the first marathon Laura took part in was The MoonWalk back in 2005, with her sister Emma and myself. When Laura was home at Christmas she signed up both Emma and myself for this year’s MoonWalk. This weekend we Walked the Walk. Laura had [...]
As the Women's Tour rolled through the country this week, myself Cat, Cathy, Laura and Polly saddled up and cycled from London to Brighton. Because cycling is more fun with friends and you don't have to be part of an organised event or be a professional athlete to cycle a long way.
And just like that it’s week 20 of my Ironman training. The weeks have gone past pretty quickly – it’s nearly four weeks since London marathon but seems like only a few days ago. I have occasional bouts of ‘Shit, shit, shit I’m not prepared, I’m not doing enough, what have I been doing for [...]
Some mark the change of season by the changing fashions or weather, but runners mark their calendar with the change from running long and slow to short and fast. After the madness of spring marathons for the past couple of months it's this time of year that a lot of runners turn their attention to [...]
“Try not to get too hung up on the profile. It's not going to change. Just get out on some hills!” This was the advice from Katie after I’d spent several hours staring at the course profile for Ironman UK. It had started several weeks earlier when an email from the race director cheerily informed [...]
Adapted from the W H Auden poem 'Funeral blues' by my friend Phil, another marathoner.
